Beastmaster of the Ages

"Taste? No, he doesn't like the girl, but he doesn't want to implicate anyone," Princess Shen Yu said.

"He's betting on his future because he doesn't want to implicate her? Do you believe that?"

"I do, because Ye Chen is the same. They both pay particular attention to righteousness, justice, and sentiment. They'll never treat their own people poorly, but they'll show no mercy to the enemy." She smiled, her fingers moving faster and the melody growing more intense.

"Interesting... if you win, he's yours. You can free Liu Wanwan. Everything will be easier. But the question is, can you defeat him?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Of course."

"If you win, that means that he can't compare to Ye Chen. Call me when he shows up and I'll place shackles on him. We can control him forever if he's a slave. Don't groom him as Ye Chen's substitute. There isn't room for two tigers on one mountain," the middle-aged man said.

"Alright."

"If you lose, will you release Liu Wanwan?" he asked.

"Not for the moment. She's his only weakness, so I can't just let her go. I was very careful, so there won't be any proof for him to find. He won't know that I'm responsible," Princess Shen Yu replied.

"But if he suspects you, he won't think favorably of you," the man added.

It doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"I've mentioned him to Ye Chen. He thinks it's best to kill him if I can't control him." A cold glint flashed in her eyes.

"He's still so decisive when it comes to killing...."

"Of course. But it'll be best if I defeat him in three days. There won't be any issues then," she said.

"Three days? Are you planning on...."

"Yes, I'll ask Father to give me a temporary boost in strength. Even if he's stronger than he was when he fought Mu Sha, I'm ninety percent sure I can defeat him."

"He's continuously improved. Design a battle plan based on an overestimation of his abilities," the middle-aged man cautioned.

"Yes. The divinespring will come in handy."

Neither side thought they would lose this battle.

……

For three days, Tianming cultivated in the seventh level of the Violetglory Pagoda. He predicted that news of his fight with Princess Shen Yu would spread all over Violetglory Star. The mysterious genius had appeared once more, and this time he was planning to climb to the top three with a fight against the princess of the Divineglory Dynasty. What an exciting battle!

Princess Shen Yu hadn't fought for a long time. She was an eighth-level constellier beastmaster. Before Ye Chen, she had been the most outstanding person in the Divineglory Dynasty. This was a duel between the best among the juniors. The Violetcloud Battlefield was filled in half a day.

After cultivating, Tianming returned to Orderia.

"The people of the Violetglory Star assume I'm just a totemancer. They think I used a blood pact for my lifebound beasts. It isn't Orderia. There's no sun emperor, no experiments. I don't have to worry that Li Wudi might cage and raise me like Qingyu. Since I'm a totemancer, how can I be considered a genius if I'm merely a heptabane?"

When he returned to the wondersky realm, Tianming instructed Ying Huo to register its strength and brought two hundred and fifty thousand silver eggs. He added not one, but two new totems. He was ready to reveal that he had nine totems.

"Seven totems won't be enough to garner real respect, but nine will create a sensation in the Violetglory Star. The ones responsible for kidnapping Wanwan will be forced to consider the consequences of becoming my enemy." He needed an occasion to make his strength known and to intimidate his potential enemies.

"I hope this helps Wanwan!"

Tianming registered the nine totems. Nine out of the ten decapath era godswords had been revealed. Together with his five lifebound beasts, Tianming's strength had reached terrifying heights. That was the basis of his confidence in defeating Princess Shen Yu.

Tianming had defeated Li Haochen without the use of his totems. This time, Yin Chen's numbers had also increased and Ying Huo had evolved. How could Princess Shen Yu stop him? He wanted to repeat one of Meow Meow's quotes: "If the tiger doesn't show its might, you'll think it's a weak kitten!"

Five Primordial Chaos Beasts and nine totems....

Tianming descended into the Violetcloud Battlefield. There was still an hour before the appointed time. He was waiting for his opponent to arrive. The stars shone and the light flashed.

Up in the sky, the white-haired young man swept his gaze across the battlefield. His silhouette was magnified tens of thousands of times by the light, like a giant surrounded by the dense crowd. Thunderous cheers filled the air the moment he appeared.

"Lin Feng!" A mysterious disciple soared into the sky.

The last person to cause such a sensation was Ye Chen, who had defeated Violetcloud Imperium's number one disciple and risen to the top of the Violetglory ranking. That shocking scene made the spectators boil with passion. The dazzling starlight centered on Tianming's body, so the disdainful, overbearing expression on his face was deeply etched in their hearts.

You want me because I'm a heptabane, yet you despise me for my young age, for being a nobody, devoid of the ability to protect my life. What'll you think of me now that I'm a nonabane with the same talent as Qingyu?

The bane-rings on his arms trembled. Nine of the decapath era godswords began stirring—the four cardinal gods, life and death, heaven and earth, and time and space. Since his time in the Divine Moon Realm, Tianming hadn't exerted the full power of his totems. Two tigers couldn't coexist on the same mountain; who was stronger? He wasn't impatient. Closing his eyes, he waited patiently for his opponent to arrive. After all, she was a princess.

Half of the Violetglory Star supported the princess, and hundreds of millions of people outside the arena were eager for her breathtaking appearance. As a peerless beauty capable of causing the downfall of a country and holding a status and birth above all others, she was the dream of many.

Tianming chose the sea as the scene of the battle. The combination of starlight lighting up the waters below and the splash of the waves made for a spectacular sight.

Lan Huang was already swimming in the water. Having just recovered from its injuries, Xian Xian, who had eaten and drank to its heart's fill, was rooted to the seabed like a small Azurecloud Divine Tree. Meanwhile, Ying Huo and Meow Meow each occupied one of Lan Huang's heads, surfing the waves. The army of two hundred and fifty thousand silver eggs had turned into two and a half million little cockroaches that floated on the surface of the water.

"I love... this place... so much! I can... fight while... taking a... bath bath!" Yin Chen said excitedly.

"I specifically chose it for you. Am I great or what?" said Tianming.

"You're alright." Yin Chen said arrogantly.

Everyone could see their joy. They didn't seem to be nervous at all. Tianming was the only serious one; the matter involving Liu Wanwan made him sullen.

It was finally time! Princess Shen Yu was neither early nor late. At this moment, she was surrounded by thousands of people, like a goddess entering the Violetcloud Battlefield.

Now that both of them were present, the battle was imminent.

……

Somewhere in the vast, endless astralscape of order, a mysterious, purple, sparkling nova source absorbed and emitted light. In the Welkin plane below, the people could see a purple sun when they looked up. It was the most beautiful thing in the world—the source of light, the origin of power, the eruption point of divine ordered patterns.... In the people's hearts, those who lived on the purple sun were gods. To reach that magnificent world, one would have to first pass stellunar source outposts and go through starry, purple clouds. That sun wasn't hot. Like the Divine Moon Realm, it was cool, mild, and dazzled with infinite starlight. Every inch of it was elegant and dignified.

In a hidden corner on the purple star, a girl with her hair tied up in a bun miserably huddled, her expression panic-stricken. A creepy, ghost-like figure was playing with its blood-red scimitar outside the window.